Dear Friends...out there somewhere....it means a lot that some of you are so far away...even in Russia, South Africa ....and somehow we are making contact.
Loretta is a Humes High friend I haven't mentioned before. We graduated (along with Larry, Beanie, Carmine, and Dorothea) in 1951.
She called me yesterday to relate an experience she had last Christmas Eve...and has been hesitant to share sooner because it sounds so weird.
Anyway, Loretta had a rich husband
who left her more money than all of the rest of us girls have put together!! She has one son, a daughter in-law she is constantly irritated by, and two darling granddaughters. It is Loretta's custom to attend Christmas Eve Candlelight service at _____Episcopal Church. The two girls (6 and 8) went with her last year, and one put her coat over her head during the entire service.
Loretta was so irritated and said so as they left the church.
On top of that her maid had said she couldn't help at the Christmas Day Open House. She wanted to spend Christmas with her own family.
"Girls, can you beat that? And after all I have done for her...why, I gave her a fortune worth of my old clothes only recently. And then your mother, you would think she would help...but noooo, not her!"
They went out to the Mercedes and got in...as Loretta scolded Marcy for misbehaving during the service.
Marcy said," Well, when all the choir members started down the aisle with all those candles burning I thought the place would catch on fire...anyway, it all was so boring!!"
It was dark already. They drove along and suddenly the five year old, Sue, started crying that she was hungry and wanted to get a hamburger or something." Marcy turned on the radio very loud. TURN THAT RADIO DOWN!!!!Loretta was totally exasperated!!!
Then the car started sputtering....then it quit running, as Loretta pulled off to the side of the road.
"I can't even find my cell phone....Do either of you girls have it?"
Marcy said that she could see a sign...maybe someone here could help.
The old weather beaten sign read --TH--L--HEM...letters were missing. They decided there really was no town here any longer. It was so dark...but they thought they heard something ahead...and being three of them, they decided to get out of the car and look.
Although it was dark they saw some old buildings there. Maybe a power outage...no electric lights.
In the moonlight they saw a man walking along with a girl riding on a donkey....Marcy said that the girl looked like she was going to have a baby.
They noticed the couple wore peculiar clothes for today, more like robes...
Marci said that the man looked like a hippy with long hair and sandals.
The man walked into a building then returned shaking his head "no." They seemed to be going further and walked toward a building that looked like a barn.
"What should we do, Granny Loretta? Can we help them?" ventured Sue and Marci almost in unison.
Loretta couldn't bring herself to leave and suggested they wait.
Then suddenly in a distance they heard beautiful singing coming from the heavens and a very bright light which settled on that barn.
Then they heard a loud voice which seemed to be talking to people out in the field..but the girls and their grandmother could not make out what was being said..
"LOOK!" Marci whispered..."Look at those men coming down the street...should we be afraid?" These hippy looking men were also in robes. They were in town to see something? and headed toward the barn. The bright light seemed to be hovering there.
"I am the smallest, nobody will even notice me." So Sue ran along the side of the road out of sight and followed the men. Then Marci did the same.
Loretta was frozen...didn't even yell for them to come back...not knowing what to say or do.
In a little while the girls returned. "It was so beautiful, Granny Loretta, The young girl was holding her new born baby and the men were bowing in front of them. We did too...couldn't help ourselves. We did too!!!"
They went back to the sign...it was gone. Then returned to the dark town...it was gone also.
"What has just happened??? Was that the baby Jesus? Was that Bethlehem?"
They stood together silently for a moment then started laughing and hugging each other. When they got back to the car, the motor miraculously started up. Marci turned on the radio, up very loud and they all sang loudly JOY TO THE WORLD together with a rock sounding group on the air.
Maybe you don't believe Loretta's story. Knowing me, you know I do.
MERRY CHRISTMAS~~!!
after all, we ARE friends! Love annie in memphis
I am not pleased with the pictures I could find, but find a blog page of all words (especially mine)
ReplyDeletesomewhat discouraging to read!!
When I checked it out, I found two of the pictures had become empty boxes, so I deleted the boxes. No matter....
ReplyDeleteAnnie, you always amaze me, with your beautiful imagination, your creativity, & your gentle spirit! Have a blessed Christmas! I enjoyed the music so very much!
ReplyDeleteAnn, just got a chance to read this. Very creative, well written, and choice of pictures. Knew always there was a reason I liked you best of all the high school girls at Humes. Sorry I never dated you but once at Rhodes, probably because I was only a freshman at Memphis State and you were a junior at Rhodes.
ReplyDeleteReally good writing.